Longstone Road

Description

The landscape intervention binds the architecture in the area in an innovative manner, reactivating the communal open space. The concept of a simple oval of grass, combined with landscape features wrapping around both the new and the existing, creates a new \'place\', with the existing trees providing a backdrop and maturity to the space. Materials and furniture were carefully chosen and sourced sustainably and a native and non-native planting palette, as well as a series of nesting and bug boxes allow the landscape to be enjoyed by humans and wildlife, transforming a hard garage area into an urban oasis.\r\n\r\nThe new mews street offers a pedestrian friendly streetscape that retains a number of parking spaces but has been carefully designed to ensure it is safe and secure. Circular paving elements act as a traffic calming measure, whilst providing a dynamic visual link to the green oval and to smaller paved circles echoed throughout the square. These features reinforce the pedestrian friendly streetscape, while providing a visual and material contrast to the building lines and general road layout.\r\n\r\nAchieving the residents\' wishes, the landscape provides opportunities for increased bio-diversity within the dense urban make-up of the estate, as well as improved play. Zones of natural wildflower meadows and a planting strategy that includes native and indigenous species such as fruit trees, flower-bearing species and those that benefit on-site fauna have been combined. A wildlife corridor with nesting, foraging and roosting opportunities has been created. The development shows how within a dense urban location considering architecture and landscape together a sustainable environment can be created, to the benefit of an existing community.

Planning History

The application was submitted in February 2013, and was determined under delegated powers in May 2013 following the statutory consultation process.